Display devices



April 14, 1970 L. A. M. ROMBERG 3,

DISPLAY DEVICES Filed D90. 28, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG1 INVENTOR Lars Anders Martin Romberg ATTORNEYS April 14, 1970 LA. MRQMBERG I v 3, 1

DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Dec. 28, 196? 5 Sheets-Sheet. l

FIG 4 FIG 2 INVENTOR Lars Anders Martin Romberq sr fw ATTORNEYS April 14, 1970 L. A. M. ROMBERG DISPLAY DEVICES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 28, 1967 ol l LL.

an N' \B rug T IN VENTOR Lars Anders Martin Rom berg ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,505,751 DISPLAY DEVICES Lars Anders Martin Rornberg, Rodhakevagen 31A, Uppsala, Sweden Filed Dec. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 694,254 Claims priority, application Sweden, Oct. 4, 1967, 13,602/ 67 Int. Cl. G09f 1/12 US. Cl. 40-1521 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for holding a display unit, for example, a picture disposed between a base and a transparent cover plate, on a surface. The device includes a bar adapted to be secured to the surface and two holders adapted to be disposed on the bar and on each of the two opposing edges of the display unit. Each such holder has a first means for being carried by the bar and a second means for holding the display unit by clamping action. The second means is provided a flexible lock adapted to press the display unit against the back of the surface provided therefor.

The present invention refers to display devices and in particular to devices for holding display material such as pictures, photos etc. On a wall or a similar surface. The display material used in connection with the invention is preferably disposed between a base and a transparent cover plate, said elements forming a unit, which is in the following called display unit.

There has for a long time been a need for simple and easily handled devices for hanging up and holding for example advertising signs on walls and similar surfaces. The devices which have up to now been used present several disadvantages that make them less suitable for said purpose. These prior-art devices usually comprise either a frame extending along the edges of the display unit, or a plurality of clamps (usually four) disposed at the angles or the edges of the display unit. Said means are provided with suspension wires which are suspended on one or more nails or screws in the vertical surface on which the display unit is suspended.

Among the disadvantages presented by the prior-art devices the following may be mentioned; the display unit cannot be firmly attached to the wall and it is almost impossible to keep said unit in a horizontal position; the device and/or the positions of the nails or screws must be adapted in advance to a determined size of the display unit; and it is difficult to substitute one display unit for another, especially when the sizes of the units are different. Furthermore, it is very diflicult and a work of great patience to attach a plurality of display units in line on a wall by using the prior-art devices.

The purpose with the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior-art devices and to provide a device of the type in question which permits a simple and convenient disposition of one or more exhibits or display units on a vertical or inclined nail or other surface independently of the sizes of the display units and a simple and rapid substitution of one exhibit or unit for another, and which makes it possible to arrange several display units side by side or above each other on a common supporting bar.

Thus, an object of the present invention is a device for holding a display unit, for example constituted by a picture or a photo disposed between a base and a transparent cover plate, on a wall or other surface, said device being characterised in that it comprises a bar adapted to be secured to the wall, and a pair of holders adapted to be disposed at two opposite edges of the display unit and having first means formed to be carried by said bar, and second means for holding the display unit by clamping action.

The invention will now be described in detail by reference to the enclosed drawings.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a display unit which is held on a vertical surface by the holding device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a holder according to the invention, said holder being disposed on the bar.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of said holder.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a third embodiment of said holder and the co-operating bar.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a part of a bar according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the bar along the line 2-2 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front view of another embodiment of the holder according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the holder according to FIG. 7 from above.

FIG. 9 is a view showing four display units which are held on a wall by means of the device according to the invention.

The device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a bar 5 which is attached to the wall by means of spacers 6 and screws 6'. A display unit 1, which can for example be constituted by a picture or a photo disposed between a base and a transparent cover plate, is held together by the clamping means 3 of two holders 2. Each clamping means 3 is provided with a backing surface 3a disposed behind the display unit, and a flexible lug 3b disposed in front of said unit and pressing it against the backing surface 3a. Each holder 2 is also provided with means 4 co-operating with the bar 5. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each said means 4 has a U-shaped cross section and is slidable on the bar 5, which has in this particular case a rectangular cross section corresponding to the U- shaped groove 7 of said means.

The above device is used in the following manner:

First of all the bar 5 is secured to the wall on which the display unit shall be mounted by means of nails or screws 6' and spacers 6. Due to the spacers 6 the bar will be arranged at a certain distance from the wall. The display material is placed between a base plate and a transparent cover plate, for example of glass, and then the two holders 2 are disposed on two opposite edges of the display unit in a manner such that said unit is firmly held between the lug 3b and the backing surface 301. Said means 4 of the holders 2 are then brought into engagement with the bar 5.

The holders 2 can be produced from rectangular or square plates of a suitable material, for example plexiglass or the plastic material called Delrin. The lugs 3b are then obtained by folding one side of the plate. The means 4 are formed by cutting the plates, preferably substantially parallel to the lug 3b, and then folding the cut up portion back to form the U-shaped grooves 7. It is to be noted, that the distance between the lug and the backing surface is normally somewhat smaller than the thickness of the display unit, so that a clamping action is obtained when the unit is introduced into said means 3.

FIG. 2 shows in detail the holder according to FIG. 1 when mounted on the bar 5. As appears from FIG. 2 the outer edge of the lug 3b is preferably directed towards the backing surface 3a. The lug 3b must not necessarily be made of the same material as the other parts of the holders 2, but said lugs can for example be constituted by a steel spring pressing the display unit against the backing surface 311.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the means 4 of the holders 2 co-operating with the bar. Said means 4 are also in this case formed as U-shaped grooves 7, but they are provided with a shoulder 11. This shoulder 11 is disposed at a distance from the bottom of the groove 7 substantially corresponding to the width of the bar 5. This embodiment is particularly suitable in the case when it is desired to arrange the bar in a direction different from the horizontal direction. Thanks to the weight of the display unit there is produced a locking action, by means of which the holders 2' are firmly fixed on the bar in spite of the fact that they are slidable on the bar 5 when they are not subjected to the weight of the display unit.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment of the bar 5 and the co-operating means 4 of the holders 2. According to this embodiment the bar 5' is provided with a C-shaped groove 10 extending lengthwise the bar, said groove 10 having a passage 12 which is more narrow than the groove itself and which opens in that surface of the bar which is not facing the wall. Said means 4 of the holder 2' is in this case formed by a foot 8 having a somewhat smaller width than the passage 12, and a thicker part 9 which is slidable in the groove 10. In this case it is not necessary to utilize the spacers 6 when securing the bar 5 to the wall, but the bar can be fixed directly on the wall or in a recess in the wall by means of for example screws, which are countersunk in the bar.

The means 4 of the holders 2" does not have to be fixed directly on the bar 5' but said means can be connected to the bar by means of, for example, runners which are slidable on or in the bar and can be fixed at desired points of the bar.

It is sometimes advantageous to attach at least one of the holders carrying one display unit at predetermined points of the bar instead of having the holders slidable on the bar. This can for example be the case when it is desired to hold the display units on an inclined wall, or when a plurality of display units shall be arranged sideby-side or above each other on the wall. A modification of the device according to the invention which is advantageous for such applications is shown in FIGS. 5-8.

This device comprises the bar 5', which is adapted to be fixed on the wall, and the holder 22. The bar 5 is in this case provided with hook-shaped elements 13 which are cut out from the bar 5' and formed in connection with the cutting operation. These hook-formed elements 13 are formed at determined points along the bar 5". The bar 5" is also provided with screw holes 14, preferably countersunk, securing the bar to the wall by means of screws.

It is possible to use short bar lengths having only one hook-shaped element, a combination of two such lengths replacing one bar for carrying and holding a display unit.

The hook-shaped element 13 is in this embodiment formed with a first small part 15 projecting perpendicularly from the bar, and a second part 16 which is parallel to the bar. Said second part is at its upper end provided with a flange 17 projecting towards the bar 5' and adapted to lock the holder 22 on the bar.

The holder 22 is in this embodiment constituted by a clamping means 18 for holding the display unit, and the means co-operating with the bar comprises an intermediate portion 19, which is adapted to be inserted behind the hook 13, and a guiding portion 20 keeping the holder 22 in position on the bar 5'. That side of the holder 22 facing the bar 5' is flat and adapted to be applied to said bar.

The device can be modified in several ways without departing from the scope of the invention. The locking of the holders can for example be obtained by some other means than the flange 17. One possibility is to provide the holders 22 with a shoulder behind the intermediate portion 19, this shoulder fitting in the cavity formed by the cutting out of the hook 13. It is then possible to eliminate the guiding portion 20 of the holder 22 and in place of this arrangement make use of an intermediate portion 19 which is so long that it projects beyond the hook 13.

When this modification of the invention is used the size of the display unit has to be adapted to the distance between the hooks 13, or vice versa, so that the intermediate portion of the holders 22 can be inserted behind the hooks 13. During the mounting the hooks 13 at first spring outwardly, but then the intermediate portions 19 comes into engagement between the flange 17 and the lower portion 15. The holder 22 is in this manner firmly held on the bar 5' and it can be loosened only if a relatively high force is exerted on the hook 13. No unintended loosening of the holder is possible. This embodiment is therefore suitable for disposing the bar 5' in a substantially vertical direction, especially when a plurality of display units are disposed above each other on one and the same bar. Said advantage is also obtained when one holder is unslidably fixed in a hook 13 and the other holder is slidable on the bar, but there is a risk for the display unit to slide along the bar if both of the holders are slidable on the bar.

As indicated above it is suitable to arrange several display units on the same bar. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 9, in which four display units are carried by one horizontal bar by means of four pairs of holders 22.

Each display unit is usually built up of two glass plates having an intermediate picture or photo. It is suitable to provide the glass plates with painted passe partouts, the passe partout of one glass disc being more narrow than that of the other. There is in this manner obtained two different sizes of the opening for exhibiting the pictures or photos. Furthermore, the length and the width of the glass plates are preferably chosen so as to correspond to the distances between the hooks provided on the bar according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-8. In this manner the display units can be held on the wall with the short sides as well as the long sides parallel to the bar.

What I claim is:

1. A device for holding a flat display unit on a surface, said device comprising, in combination:

(a) a bar securable to the surface; and

(b) two holders each having (1) attaching means for securing the respective holder to said bar and (2) clamping means for clampingly engaging the flat display in the region of an edge thereof, said clamping means being provided with a backing surface and a flexible lug which presses said unit against said backing surface; in consequence of which said holders, when disposed, respectively, on two opposite edges of the display unit, may clampingly engage the display unit and themselves be attached to said bar while being spaced from each other a distance which is determined by the spacing between said two opposite edges of the display unit.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said holders is slidably secured to said bar.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of said holders is fixedly secured to the bar and the other of said holders is slidably secured to the bar.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said holders is fixedly secured to the bar, said holder clamping means being spaced apart a distance, when mounted on the bar, equal to the distance between two opposite edges of the display unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bar is provided with spacers which maintain said bar in spaced relationship to said surface, and said attaching means is provided a groove for engaging said bar; said attaching means groove having a portion which is fitted into the space defined between the bar and the surface, as a consequence of which the attaching means is secured to the bar.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said attaching means includes a shoulder element disposed at a distance from the bottom of said groove, said distance corresponding to the width of the bar.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bar has a C-shaped groove provided therein and said attaching means is provided with a T-shaped member extending therefrom, said T-shaped member being fitted into said C- shaped groove for attaching each holder to said bar.

8. The device claimed in claim 1 wherein said bar is provided with at least one hooked element, said hooked element being adapted to engage said holder attaching means.

9. The device claimed in claim 8 wherein said hooked element is a bent portion of the bar, said bent portion having been cut from said bar.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein each of said attaching means of the holders, which engage said hook, is provided a member which projects into the cavity formed in the bar at the location where said bent portion forming each such hooked element is cut from the bar.

11. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the free References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1942 Fluss 40-128 6/1960 Hill 40124 FOREIGN PATENTS 222,934 11/1942 Switzerland.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 40l28 2 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,505,751 Dated April 14th, 1970 Inventor(s) Lars Anders Mart in Romberg It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 6, after "Claims priority," insert the following? application Sweden, Dec. 29 1966 17,877/66 and;

Column 3, line 23, change "2'" 0 --2"--; iire 45, change "5' to 5 line 46, change "5 to 5 line 48, change "5' to 5 line 68, change "5' to 5 line 69 change "5' to 5 Column 4, line 11, change "portions" to -portion-; lines 14 and 17, change "5'" to 5 SIGNED AND swan SEAL Atteat:

mestingOfficar mm 1:. sommm, m.

I. Commissioner of Patents J 

